I don't know about anyone else but I kind of think it's awesome that we can have a female protagonist that is a mother. I know there are a lot of people out there who are upset about the set backstory (whether you wanted your character to be gay, or a virgin, or be infertile) but it's kind of revolutionary.

You see male protagonists with kids all the time but never about a woman (main character, not supporting cast) who starts out as a mother and then becomes the action hero. Even in Skyrim you start out as the badass and can then choose to settle down and adopt, but I really can't think of a single game where you start out as a wife and mom...... and then become the super awesome gun toting, mutant slaying badass.

Regardless of if your husband and child are dead or not I think that is pretty cool and a big step forward in gaming.

What about the rest of the community?

Ehhh I don't really see how its a big step forward in gaming representing a demographic obviously mothers haven't had a large representation in gaming considering the size of their demographics but it doesn't really feel like its a big step in gaming. Its not a bad thing but its just more of a plot device then anything else.

Big step forward how? Your statement comes across as though you believe a mother protagonist to in some way be more artistic or in some way superior to the other possibilities. Surely you just mean it's refreshing to see something new, right?

I like it. Makes her seem like an underdog in this dangerous world that will really have to learn to fight for survival.

I don't even....

I better not have stretch marks!

I hate being a parent because I feel like the family is forced on me.

I think it's amazing. i read a post on this forum that basicallly was wondering how a woman from the 50's can be an action hero if woman from the 1950s were nothing but housewives back in those days. and i was amazed that no one mentioned that back in the 40s when WW2 was going on, the woman went to go work in factories to make steel for weapons. and some of those woman continued to work after the war was over.

i love the idea of a mother being a bad ass, cause if you think about it, a woman becomes like a mother bear when it comes to her babies, so have a woman whom lost her first child and husband, i can imaged her just wanting to destroy anything in her path or wanting to help any child she sees and single fathers/mothers to survive. I'm so thrilled about it. my husband even said he might play the female cause he has never played a game where the mother becomes the hero, its usually the child or the father.

I think it's a nice idea. We see a lot of protagonists who are dads or fill in the role as a father figure (Last of Us, Walking Dead). It would be nice to play as a mother or motherly figure for once. I don't remember a game where you actually play with a mother (as a protagonist).

From what we do know at the moment is its a plot device instead of a character defining trait I just have to reiterate that.

No. Just...no. The fact that the female PC is a mother is not special. It's about as relevant as most baseball statistics. I don't care if Chris Heston was the first player to pitch a no hitter after having waffles for breakfast since Pete Drexel in 1896, and I don't care that the female PC squeezed out a baby.

I'm gonna make my character a grade A milf.

being a father, in a post nuclear wasteland? certainly rather NOT.

in matters of "step forward in gaming", i agree if it's optional (just like i considered fnv's "animal friend" perk a huge leap forward).

if it's forced upon me in a setting i don't think it fits though (and, to that, without even letting me choose WHO i'd impregnate), meh...

There are lots of fatherly (more accurately mentory uncle like) figures but actually relatively few fathers. Walking Dead, Last of Us, Witcher 3, Dishonored etc. the only actual father I remember as a PC was Sam Fisher and from what I understand he was generally a pretty absent fathers. I think it is kind of cool a game that says that your life doesn't end when you have children.

Part of me strongly dislike it. I don't want to have children IRL, so I don't want to be a mother. Well, if it did happen, I would go with the flow. Just not something I'm planning.

The vain/shallow part of me is thinking "but walking around with a baby for 9 months, it probably affects my looks negatively!". Then I realize how incredibly ridiculous that thinking is considering all the women I know who are mothers, including my own mother. I hate this feeling because why the eff is even my virtual looks looks so important? It's the virtual world! Who cares, I tell myself. So I'm kinda ashamed of that thought. Mind you, this only pertains to me, not to other women. Don't care how they look.

In the end, I might even end up liking it. It's unusual for the female lead to even have a child, in my gaming experience.

really?

Are you really saying that respresntation is not a step forward? And in no way does the OP comments come off as though a mother is more artistic or superior, that fact that you read it as such is more telling about your insecurities then anything else.

Gamers are not a single demographic monolith. Before it was a struggle to convince people that games were not played only by kids & teenagers but that more advlts played games than those underage. Well guess what having a tallywackle isn't a requirement for being a gamer. And we have seen a LOT of fathers portrayed in games but can YOU name 3 player characters that are mothers? I can't. Seeing women being portrayed in more roles IS a BIG step FORWARD. Why? because it makes games more representative and that is good. What makes it a BIG step is that it hasn't been done with a PC character from a large AAA studio. It is good for gamers and good for the industry and it is smart marketing as you are not narrowing your target audience to 1/2 the population.

We men have to stop being so bloody insecure about a broader representation in games. We lose nothing for its inclusion and we gain more diverse stories. We see our industry attract more gamers which means there will be more games made as the industry grows. And as the industry grows it needs more people to work in it which means a greater chance at innovation. The only down side is narrow minded gamers ranting because of fear.

I inquired because I wasn't sure how it was supposed to come off; I was asking. My point was that if you attach "representation" to specific minority groups, then you're failing to see the difference and that could get ugly.

...Ugly like how you just got on your soapbox to give a big preachy speech about how I'm an awful person and how the world should be....all because I asked a question. :U

No I commented because you made a definative statement not because you asked a question...

I also asked a question but I guess your questions are from the angels and mine are ugly because of my soapbox. Further more i answered your first question. But yeah it is better when people with narrow minds don't have their views challenged. Because challenging people for narrow minded viewpoints makes them uncomfortable and better to attack me and my soapbox then actually have to address the points I made. But silly me i actually answered your first question but you really weren't asking that question were you? It was a rhetorical question no? Because you sure didn't address any of my points in your comments about your question.

Hadn't considered it. Then again, I hadn't considered really playing through as the father, either. I see the backstory as more of a suggestion.

But if you want to see it as a positive in gaming, I think that's pretty cool, too.

I'm not sure why the story saying you can be a mother is revolutionary. Why not nurse, an engineer, a physician? You could always choose your gender. It's no different here.

It'd be something else if the initial trailer showed a female protagonist at the end, not some character tutorial creatively allowing you to choose you gender.

There are indeed bad parents in the world, I don't see why being one gives you a powerful image suddenly.

Gee, sure is tumblr in this thread all of a sudden...

Here, can we take a step back and highlight how ridiculous this is? You are claiming:

-I am a male who can't stand seeing protagonists that aren't males.

-This challenges my world-view

-I am narrow-minded

-Playing as a character who is a mother makes me uncomfortable

-I hate playing as minorities (?)

Have you considered I didn't address any of your points because your "points" all function off of the above premises, which is nothing but a list of conclusions you jumped across the Grand Canyon to make? None of them have been proven, nor have you even made a good case as to why it's even remotely logical to make ANY of those assumptions, and you expect me to respond to your points? That's the equivalent of me saying how was your day and that you look upset, you saying "you did it, you killed the maid. Why did you do it?" and then when I don't answer with why I did it, that's proof I'm cold-blooded and heartless. WE NEVER EVEN PROVED MY GUILT YET WTF. I legit wrote two sentences. From two sentences, you concluded all of the above. Do you see why I might not be eager to have a discussion with you or, quite frankly, consider a discussion with you a waste of time? Do you see why I might be criticizing your first post?

It's hysterical. Not the ha-ha hysterical, but the overreaction hysterical. All of it.

OP worded something strangely, and I felt compelled to inquire. However, the way it was worded to me expressed an opinion that I thought just sounded unreasonable or a little off and, since I like to assume the best of people, I assumed OP merely phrased it a little odd and just wanted her to clarify so I could understand what she truly meant.

No worries though, because a brave night of tumblr arrived to defend her from my civility and my reasonable question, and was even kind enough to provide the humble townsfolk with an inspirational speech. Blessed are we to be in the presence of this brave knight.

inb4 tumblr

{edit} ugh, drats.

Is this really something worth fighting over? Just agree I'm right and move on.

Oh for crying out loud, being a woman and disagreeing with a dude has nothing to do with tumblr. If you can't handle an opinion that challenge the norm then maybe it's better not to answer?

Seriously, just leave the tumblr/SJW vs GG out of this.